Deployment Solution

I am creating a standard image over several types of hardware platforms. In DS 6.9, you can create a script to copy over the HAL like you would for sysprep and drivers when performing an image deployment. 

How should HAL replacement or more importantly Hardware Independent Imaging work in DS 7.1?

Should I keep all drivers for all systems on the root c:\ and reference them in my sysprep.inf file?

What I do for DS version 7.1 is the same process as I perform in DS 6.9. However, a couple of scripts change.

Instead of using the Make and Model DS tokens, I use vbscript to find the Make and Model of the computers. From here, I then copy down the correct drivers to the location I reference in the sysprep.inf file. I do this to minimize the space, and in case I change the drivers at a later date. I dont have to edit the image, the scripts do all of this for me after the image is laid down, but before mini-setup (or OOBE for Windows 7).

With knowing the Make and model, you could also script the copying of the HAL at this point. I personally do not inject HALS. Worse case scenario, I will have 2 images, one for each HAL. At 98 percent of my clients, I have never had more than 1, 2% I had 2 images. Now with Windows 7, we dont have to worry about HALS no more :)

Thanks,

   David Ramazetti

   Senior Technical Solutions Consultant

   XCEND Group

Remember that DS 7.1 has DeployAnywhere which does support NIC and Mass Storage drivers to get around HAL issues.

For the rest, you need a two pronged approach.  1) script something like he described above for the rest of your drivers to be pulled from a central location based on, as mentioned, the version of the system you detect from WMI.

Then 2) wait for the next release of the product (I think they're going with SP1) where DeployAnywhere gets a facelift and should support all drivers.  Then you can use DA for everything.

Well, we hope anyway.